


Buzzbomb

by FaeAreReal



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Punk, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaeAreReal/pseuds/FaeAreReal
Summary: Kyuhyun learns how to be a punk from Ryeowook and finds himself catching feelings along the way.
Relationships: Cho Kyuhyun/Kim Ryeowook
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Buzzbomb

**Author's Note:**

> title comes from a dead kennedys song!  
> i am well aware that kyuhyun and ryeowook are literally the two people in suju who are least likely to be punks but its fanfiction so i took creative liberties :-)

The tiny venue is gritty and dirty. It smells like beer, sweat, and, if one considers it for just a moment too long, a hint of piss. The occupants don’t care. They thrash about in a mosh pit or they stand at the side and drink their beer or they fight some asshole trying to start trouble. Half of them have hair that defies gravity, almost everyone is wearing at least one piece of leather _somewhere,_ and he can’t see a single person whose eyes aren’t rimmed with kohl.  
Kyuhyun lives for it.  
He belts out the closing lyric of their closing song and the crowd in front of him goes nuts. He thanks them and walks off stage with the rest of the band, dropping his microphone with the tech and making a beeline for the bar. Ryeowook is already sitting in the corner, a single barstool beside him empty and waiting for Kyuhyun.

Music pumps through the speakers around the underground venue. They sound like shit, but Kyuhyun isn’t going to complain, and he knows the audience doesn’t care, either. Their shows are technically illegal - the government doesn’t much like it when he writes his songs about how much he thinks is wrong with their country. He doesn’t care. They can try to blacklist his band all they want, but it won’t stop their loyal fanbase. Punks come from all over the state to see them perform.  
Kyuhyun sits in the stool beside Ryeowook, wrapping his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. The bartender places a beer in front of him. It’s one of the perks of these shitty underground venues - free beer. He picks up the glass, nodding to the bartender in thanks, before looking around at the crowd to the left of him. Some of the audience continues to dance to the music playing from the speakers, different bands but all punk nonetheless. Others slowly file out of the venue, wiping makeup off their faces and checking left and right for cops before they close the door behind them.  
Kyuhyun scans the crowd standing around the edge of the venue. A girl with pink liberty spikes and the word “DYKE” scrawled in lipstick across her chest makes eye contact with him, and he waves back at her. She offers a smile and he returns it.  
Ryeowook leans his head on Kyuhyun’s shoulers, his hair tickling Kyuhyun’s neck, and he brings his gaze back down to the man beside him.  
“Enjoy the show?” He asks.  
Ryeowook nods, pressing a soft kiss to Kyuhyun’s neck. Kyuhyun knows his neck is sweaty and gross, but Ryeowook has never cared about things like that.  
It makes him feel like the luckiest man in the world.

If the Kyuhyun of five years ago could see him now, he would think he was looking at a stranger. Not only because of his appearance - although Kyuhyun will admit he’s changed his look pretty hugely, with the bleached hair and the huge tattoos and the black makeup smudged around his eyes.  
But, no, that wouldn’t be the thing to confuse past-Kyuhyun.  
Kyuhyun of nineteen-eighty-nine was set to be a businessman. He was enrolled in college, studying business and management, preparing to embark on a boring, but safe, career. He was left-leaning, but he didn’t care very much either way about politics, and his favourite music was whatever was playing on the radio at that moment. He never even considered coming out.  
And then, he met Ryeowook.

* * *

Ryeowook was the last person anyone would expect to be a punk. He, like Kyuhyun, was in college, studying to pursue a safe career in teaching. They met at the school library, when Ryeowook walked into the private room Kyuhyun had booked. They were both confused, Ryeowook checking and double-checking his own reservation to ensure it was the right room, right date; Kyuhyun insisting it was his room. Finally, they decided to just share the room. They were only two people, after all, and if they were both studying, they would be quiet doing their own thing.  
That was the plan, anyway, but Kyuhyun found he couldn’t keep his eyes off the boy in front of him. And when he wasn’t sneaking glances at Ryeowook, Ryeowook was sneaking glances at him. Occasionally, their eyes met, before dropping quick as light back to their books.  
Finally, after fifteen minutes, Ryeowook snapped his book shut, drawing Kyuhyun’s surprised attention. Before Kyuhyun could force his attention back to his work, Ryeowook asked if he would be interested in attending a _‘show’_ with him that evening. He didn’t specify what _kind_ of show, but Kyuhyun didn’t need him to. He wanted to know more about the boy in front of him, he wanted to spend more time with Ryeowook.  
Kyuhyun agreed without hesitation. He closed his own books, pushing his study material to the side, and he and Ryeowook spent the rest of the study session getting to know each other.  
(Kyuhyun checked his reservation slip later that night. He had been in the wrong room. He wasn’t surprised when he found he didn’t regret the mistake.)

* * *

Kyuhyun was ill-prepared for his first punk show with Ryeowook. He arrived in his normal clothes, a pair of nice-fitting jeans and a button up navy plaid top, with a pair of scuffed white sneakers on his feet. He was surprised to see punks filing into the venue he was supposed to meet Ryeowook at.  
He never liked punks. He thought they were dirty, smelly, anarchist dicks who spent all day burning down cars and leeching money off the government.

Seeing Ryeowook was the thing that changed his mind. Ryeowook, who before was the almost-preppy student sitting across from him in the school library, had become a mesh-and-leather clad punk. He wore a ring in his lip and studs all up his ears. Kyuhyun hadn’t been able to see his ears back in the library, his hair having covered them, but now his hair was styled up in spikes that Kyuhyun almost worried would poke his eye out. He had a band of black eye makeup stretching from one eye to the other, across the bridge of his nose. Somehow, the black makeup made his eyes sparkle. Kyuhyun found himself wondering if that happened with everyone who wore black makeup, or if Ryeowook just had especially pretty eyes.  
Ryeowook’s jeans were skin-tight and torn up, revealing messy stick-and-poke tattoos hidden on his legs. He wore heavy combat boots that made him almost as tall as Kyuhyun.

“I didn’t realize you were a punk,” Kyuhyun had said, delighted to watch the colour raise on Ryeowook’s cheeks, even as he took a defensive stance.  
“Is it a problem?” Ryeowook asked. Kyuhyun had to admit, Ryeowook was good at pretending he didn’t have a blush blooming across his cheeks. He would have almost been intimidating, if Kyuhyun didn’t find him so adorable.  
He shook his head. “Not at all. I like it.” The colour on Ryeowook’s cheeks darkened at that. “I don’t think I’m in the right attire, though. I didn’t think it was going to be this kind of show.”  
“Right,” Ryeowook nodded, gesturing behind him to the car he had stepped out of only moments ago. “I brought some eyeliner, if you want to borrow it. I didn’t think I would have any clothes that would fit you, but I brought a mesh shirt…” He trailed off, reaching into the backseat of his car.  
Kyuhyun regarded his own clothes as Ryeowook emerged from his car once again, eyeliner in one hand and mesh shirt in the other.  
“Alright,” He shrugged, grabbing the shirt from Ryeowook. Without another word, Kyuhyun removed his button up shirt and slid the mesh over his head. It was a little short, but with his pants being so high-rise, it didn’t really matter.  
Ryeowook moved to hand Kyuhyun the eyeliner, but before he could, Kyuhyun was ripping the sleeves off his button up shirt.  
“What are you doing?” Ryeowook exclaimed, putting his hands over Kyuhyun’s as if to try to stop him, despite it being too late for that.  
Kyuhyun smiled. “This shirt is old, anyway. I think it might even be my dad’s from the 70’s. I can just wear it like a vest, right?”  
He pushed his arms through the holes where the sleeves once were, pulling the now-sleeveless shirt onto his shoulders and holding his arms out for Ryeowook to examine.  
Ryeowook nodded. “Acceptable,” He said. “You still look like a poser, but at least you look like you’re trying.”  
“I mean,” Kyuhyun began, grabbing the eyeliner out of Ryeowook’s hand and using the car window as a mirror as he smudged it around his eyes. “I kind of _am_ a poser. I don’t know the first thing about being a punk. I think you’re the first punk I’ve ever met, and I didn’t even know you _were_ a punk until five minutes ago.”  
Ryeowook smacked him on the shoulder. “I know that, obviously!” He said. “But you can’t say that kind of thing around here. You say that to the wrong person and you’ll get the shit kicked out of you. If anyone asks, you’re lowkey because you can’t risk being arrested.”  
Kyuhyun raised his eyebrows. “Some people _can_ risk being arrested?”  
“Obviously,” Ryeowook replied, watching as Kyuhyun straightened back up, replacing the cap on his eyeliner pencil. He scrutinised Kyuhyun’s face for a moment, before scrunching his nose and bringing his thumb up to further smudge the makeup.

When he finished, Ryeowook stepped back, as if to admire his handiwork. “But don’t worry,” He said, speaking as if he had never stopped talking in the first place.  
Ryeowook reached up and unhooked one of the numerous pins off his jacket, pinning it to the pocket on the front of Kyuhyun’s shirt as he continued, “If you like the show, I can teach you what you need to know about being a punk. And if you don’t like the show… Well, we can still be friends.”  
Kyuhyun felt a pang in his chest at that. He wasn’t sure if Ryeowook _meant_ to imply that he wouldn’t be romantically interested in someone with a different ideology than him, but it really felt that way. He knew he couldn’t fake it, though. Ryeowook wouldn’t deserve that, either. He hoped harder than he had ever hoped for something before that he would enjoy the show.

He never would have expected to enjoy it as much as he did, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain.

* * *

Kyuhyun learned about punk culture slowly. Shows didn’t happen often, and Ryeowook was very careful to keep a professional appearance when he was at college. Kyuhyun understood. He invited Ryeowook to the one bedroom apartment off-campus that his father got for him and he listened as Ryeowook told him everything he could about being a punk. Ryeowook would bring his tapes and vinyl records, and they would listen until the sun went down and the stars twinkled in the sky.

Finally, a few months later, whispers of another punk show in their area sprouted. The band was one Kyuhyun recognized, it was one of his favourites of the bands Ryeowook had introduced him to. Needless to say, Kyuhyun was excited.  
The show was supposed to happen the following night, and Kyuhyun invited Ryeowook over to his place to get ready together. He had his own clothes, now, clothes that actually fit the way he wanted them to. But still, he wanted Ryeowook there to get ready with him because he enjoyed his presence. The time they spent together was some of Kyuhyun’s favourite parts of his weeks. They usually couldn’t go out dressed the way they wanted, because they didn’t want to become social pariahs, but when it was just the two of them they could do whatever they wanted. Kyuhyun found that he had never felt more like himself than when he was spending time with Ryeowook.  
He knew he had a crush on Ryeowook, but for the meantime, being his friend was more than enough.

Ryeowook showed up at Kyuhyun’s doorstep an hour and a half before the show was set to begin. He was already changed, as he often was when he arrived at Kyuhyun’s place. They were far enough from campus that they didn’t have to think about their peers seeing them.  
Kyuhyun had been in the middle of getting dressed when Ryeowook showed up, and he answered the door with his belt unbuckled and his shirt half-on. Ryeowook laughed at his appearance. “Excited, I assume?” He teased.  
Kyuhyun shoved at Ryeowook’s shoulder, not giving him the satisfaction of a reply.  
“Help me with my hair?” He asked, turning around as Ryeowook entered his apartment and kicked the door closed behind him.  
“Sure,” Ryeowook replied, following him into the cramped bathroom. He pulled up a chair and sat in front of the mirror. There was already combs, gel, and hairspray spread around the counter, but styling his hair was the one thing Kyuhyun hadn’t quite figured out yet. He kept his hair cut in a way that was publicly acceptable, and he had no idea how Ryeowook was able to change his hair so easily. It was almost like magic, the way Ryeowook changed his hair so drastically.

Ryeowook was in the middle of teasing Kyuhyun’s hair up when he spoke again, “Have you ever thought about piercing your ear?”  
Kyuhyun looked at him in the mirror, Ryeowook making brief eye contact before drawing his attention back down to Kyuhyun’s hair.  
“I’ve thought about it,” Kyuhyun replied. “But I don’t know how to do it myself, and I don’t know where I could get it done.”  
“I could do it.”  
Kyuhyun watched in the mirror as Ryeowook stepped back, admiring his handiwork. Kyuhyun had to admit, he looked cool. He would have to get Ryeowook to teach him how to do hair one day.  
“You could do it?” He asked.  
Ryeowook stepped in front of him, beginning to work on his own eye makeup. “Sure,” He replied. “I did mine. It’s pretty easy. Do you have a needle? I might be able to find a spare stud in my car.”  
Kyuhyun stood up, pushing the chair aside and standing beside Ryeowook to apply makeup with him. “Does a sewing needle work?” He asked, searching his drawer for his favourite eyeliner before looking over and realizing Ryeowook had stolen it. He chose not to complain, smearing brown eyeshadow underneath his eyes in the meantime.  
“That’s what I used,” Ryeowook replied, handing the eyeliner to Kyuhyun and turning to face him once again. “Should I go see if I have an earring laying around somewhere?”  
Kyuhyun looked at him, shocked. “You want to do it right now?!”  
Ryeowook shrugged. “Why not? Better to get it over with, right?” He didn’t wait for an answer before turning around and leaving the bathroom. Kyuhyun stood, surprised, and listened to Ryeowook exit his apartment.  
With a shake of his head, Kyuhyun turned back to the mirror and began smudging his eyeliner. Really, he thought, there was no reason to be surprised. He knew Ryeowook well enough now to know that he wouldn’t bother waiting around for something small like piercing an ear. Besides, Kyuhyun _had_ been thinking about it for a while. He knew it was something he wanted, there was no use dilly-dallying.

A couple minutes later, Ryeowook returned with a single black stud. “Ready?”  
Kyuhyun held up the sewing needle. “Ready.”

Really, it didn’t hurt that bad.  
(Or, maybe, he was just a closeted masochist. He figured he was best keeping that thought to himself for a while.)

When they arrived at the show, Kyuhyun’s ear was throbbing, but he had never felt better. Finally, after months of only having Ryeowook to understand, he could be around people who _knew._  
He met Ryeowook at the back of his car, pulling on his pin-and-patch-covered-denim jacket. Ryeowook stood, waiting, until he had his jacket on, and then grabbed his hand, interlocking their fingers.  
Kyuhyun jumped. “What are you doing?” He whispered. “Someone’s going to see!”  
Ryeowook laughed. “It’s fine. People here are cool. Nobody cares.”  
Ryeowook didn’t let go of his hand as he dragged Kyuhyun towards the venue. Kyuhyun looked around nervously, but found that Ryeowook was right. Nobody was even sparing them a second glance, their intertwined hands were normal in the eyes of the people around them.  
Truly, Kyuhyun had never felt so accepted.

* * *

Kyuhyun woke to banging at his door at 2:30 in the morning, one summer night. “Just a second!” He called, sliding out of bed and sleepily making his way toward the front door. A glance through the peephole showed him Ryeowook, and Kyuhyun opened the door quickly, worried for his friend.  
“What’s going on, Ryeowook?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed. Ryeowook didn’t answer, stepping into the apartment and shutting the door behind himself before falling against Kyuhyun’s chest, heaving deep breaths.  
“Sorry,” He mumbled after a while. “My parents kicked me out and I have nowhere else to go. Do you mind if I crash on your couch?”  
Kyuhyun rubbed a soothing hand on Ryeowook’s back. “Of course you can. Go lay down, we can figure something out in the morning.”

Morning came quickly, and Kyuhyun woke up to the smell of pancakes wafting from the kitchen. He yawned, exiting his bedroom with a stretch. “You didn’t have to make breakfast.”  
Ryeowook waved a hand. “It’s the least I could do. It’s just about finished, sit down. There’s coffee on the table.”  
Kyuhyun did as he was asked, taking a sip of the coffee and letting out a moan. “I think this is the best coffee I’ve ever had. Did you go to the store? I know this isn’t the coffee I usually have at home.”  
“Yeah,” Ryeowook replied. “I tried some of the shit you have and just about spit it out on the floor. I don’t know how you’ve been surviving on that. I had to buy flour, anyway, so it’s not like I went out of my way to buy something actually drinkable.”  
Kyuhyun laughed good naturedly at the rib, he knew it wasn’t something he could deny, anyway. He bought the cheap shit, and he could admit it didn’t taste very good.  
Ryeowook set a plate of steaming blueberry pancakes in front of him, and Kyuhyun could barely get a ‘thank you’ out before he was shovelling food in his mouth.  
They ate in silence for a while. Kyuhyun could see Ryeowook fidgeting, but he didn’t push the other to talk. Ryeowook would say what was on his mind when he had his thoughts in order, Kyuhyun knew.

“So what are we going to do? Y’know...about me?”  
Kyuhyun looked up from his freshly empty plate, making eye contact with Ryeowook.  
“What do you want to do?” He asked, and Ryeowook lowered his eyes to his lap.  
“I’m not sure,” Ryeowook sighed. “I really...I’m sick of living in the school dorms. You have no idea how much I envy this apartment of yours, Kyu.”  
Kyuhyun nodded, taking a sip of coffee. “My lease is up at the end of the month. It’s short notice, but we could look around for a cheap two bedroom, if you want.”  
Ryeowook looked up at him with surprise. “You would do that for me?”  
“Of course I would,” Kyuhyun replied, holding back a chuckle. “I care about you. If you don’t want to live in the dorms and can’t live with your parents, I would love to live with you. Besides, it could be fun.”  
Ryeowook smiled, and Kyuhyun thought briefly that his smile could rival the sun. “Thank you, Kyu. I could kiss you right now.”  
Kyuhyun allowed a small laugh at that one. “I wouldn’t ask you not to,” He replied with a wink.  
Ryeowook smirked, standing up from the table and walking towards where Kyuhyun sat. He pressed a kiss to Kyuhyun’s forehead before backing up, taking Kyuhyun’s dirty dishes with him. “You’ll have to try harder than that!” He sing-songed.  
Kyuhyun felt a smile bloom on his face. “Such a tease.”  
Ryeowook just laughed.

* * *

One month later, Kyuhyun and Ryeowook were settling into their new 2-bedroom apartment. Kyuhyun’s father had no objections to the new place, so long as Ryeowook chipped in his own rent. Ryeowook was about to begin his last year of school, and Kyuhyun knew he wouldn’t be able to work much during the school year, so he told his father rent would be higher than it was, allowing Ryeowook to only pay 30%.

A couple weeks before school was due to begin again, Kyuhyun and Ryeowook went to another show a couple towns away. It was there that they met Jongwoon and Heechul, two men a couple years older than the two of them. After the show, the four of them stayed behind at the venue bar, something Kyuhyun and Ryeowook usually didn’t do.  
“A lot of bands are searching for bassists, right, but most of them already have their drummer, so Heechul and I haven’t had a lot of luck.” Jongwoon was explaining.  
Heechul sighed, shaking his head. “I always tell Jongwoon to just join one of them, it’s better than sitting around hoping, but he never does.”  
Jongwoon smacked Heechul on the shoulder. “No! We’re a package deal, like I said!”  
Heechul rolled his eyes. Kyuhyun could tell this was an argument the two of them had gone through too many times.  
“What about you two? Either of you play anything?” Heechul asked.  
Kyuhyun and Ryeowook both shook their heads. “Nah,” Ryeowook replied. “I’m in school to be a teacher. Takes up too much of my time. Kyuhyun’s a great singer, though.”  
Kyuhyun shoved him. “As if you aren’t!” He turned back to Heechul and Jongwoon. “Ryeowook is a great singer, too.”  
Ryeowook shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. “Like I said, I’m too busy to think of any of that. Singing is just something I like to do for fun. You would be great in a band, though, Kyu.”  
“Psh, whatever.” Kyuhyun rolled his eyes.  
He noticed Heechul studying the two of them. “How long have you two been together? You said you live together, right?”  
“Not together,” Ryeowook corrected, taking a swig of beer.  
Jongwoon raised his eyebrows. “Could’ve fooled me.”  
Kyuhyun just shrugged. He was pretty comfortable in his… _thing_ with Ryeowook. He knew by this point that they both liked each other, and now the will-he-won’t-he flirting was almost a fun game.

* * *

The two of them spent more and more time with Heechul and Jongwoon. Heechul had found two guitarists to jam with, Jungmo and Hyukjae. They often invited Kyuhyun and Ryeowook to sit in on their jam sessions, which was less music and more alcohol, often resulting in the six of them crashing at Heechul and Jongwoon’s shared home.

They were at one of the jam sessions, in which the band was actually playing music for a change, and the band was arguing.  
“All we need is a singer and we have a full band, man,” Jungmo said. “I saw those lyrics you wrote up, Jongwoon, and they were good. You guys haven’t put up fliers?”  
Heechul shrugged. “Jongwoon doesn’t want to put up fliers. He wants to find someone _naturally.”_  
“Don’t be a dick,” Jongwoon shot back without pause. “You know what I meant.”  
“Yeah, yeah,” Heechul conceded, waving a dismissive hand. “You sure you can’t just sing for now until we find someone?”  
Jongwoon shook his head. “Nah,” He replied. “Wouldn’t be right.”  
Ryeowook nudged Kyuhyun’s arms. “You should do it,” He whispered.  
“Why?” Kyuhyun whispered back.  
“Because! You would be good!” Ryeowook replied. He stood up, gaining the attention of the band. “Kyuhyun can sing. Even just temporarily, if you guys wanted to test out how the lyrics sound with the music.”  
“Dickhead.” Kyuhyun muttered, low enough only for Ryeowook to hear.  
Jongwoon’s eyes lit up, however, and Kyuhyun knew he couldn’t say no. He stood up, walking awkwardly toward where the band was set up. Hyukjae grabbed a microphone for him, plugging it into one of the many speakers in the garage.

Kyuhyun sang the song, and before he knew what was happening he was singing another song and another, until he had gone through the five songs Jongwoon had completed. Ryeowook, the sole audience member, clapped excitedly with every song, and Kyuhyun was surprised to find how much he enjoyed the experience.  
“That was awesome!” Heechul exclaimed when they finished, standing up from his drum set and wrapping his arms around Kyuhyun’s shoulders. “We have _got_ to do that again!”  
Jongwoon nodded, laughing. “You’re a great vocalist, Kyuhyun.”  
Kyuhyun waved them off, accepting the cup of beer from Ryeowook and taking a swig. Ryeowook pressed a kiss to his cheek before resting his head on Kyuhyun’s shoulder.  
The others didn’t comment on the sight, used to their flirting.  
“Dude,” Hyukjae said. _“Please_ join our band.”  
Kyuhyun let out a surprised laugh. “I’ll think about it,” He promised with an amused shake of his head.

Later that night, Kyuhyun and Ryeowook were sharing the spare bed as usual, and Kyuhyun turned to look at Ryeowook beside him.  
“So, that was a set-up, right? Did Jongwoon ask you to volunteer me? You know he wouldn't have let Hyukjae invite me to the band if he hadn’t already talked about it with them.”  
Ryeowook smiled cheekily. “Maybe? Maybe I just thought you would be a good fit for them. And either way, I was right.”  
Kyuhyun couldn’t stop his own smile from spreading. “Maybe you were. But, Ryeowook, I’m in school too, you know that.”  
Ryeowook nodded. “I know that. And I also know that you hate it, and you’re only doing it for your father.”  
Kyuhyun couldn’t deny the fact. “Yeah, but-”  
“No but’s.” Ryeowook interrupted. “Just think about it, okay?”

It didn’t take much thinking. The next time he and Ryeowook met up with the band, he agreed to be their permanent vocalist. He was going to finish his year in school, just to ensure his father would continue paying for their apartment, but once Ryeowook graduated and got hired at a school, he would drop out of university and work to pay his half of the rent.  
They didn’t stay long at band practice, electing not to drink as they usually would, because Ryeowook had to work in the morning, and Kyuhyun had a huge project due in only a couple days that he hadn’t even started on.  
When they got home, Ryeowook looked at him with a soft smile.  
“I’m really happy for you, Kyu.”  
Before Kyuhyun could thank him, Ryeowook rose to his toes and kissed him softly. Kyuhyun didn’t hesitate to return the kiss.  
It ended earlier than he would have liked, but with the way Ryeowook shyly wished him a good night, Kyuhyun couldn’t complain.

* * *

Kyuhyun and Ryeowook worked dutifully to complete their school work. The goodnight kisses became a regular thing, which then became a goodnight and good morning thing, until it became a whenever-they-felt-like-it thing, and then the two of them could no longer pretend they weren’t together.  
The band didn’t ask, but they always seemed to just know, and Kyuhyun appreciated not having to explain.  
Ryeowook gave him a couple more ear piercings (and Kyuhyun’s closeted masochism became just a little less closeted). Kyuhyun slowly but surely got the hang of doing his own hair, and he and Ryeowook could often be found spending a weekend at thrift shops and then sitting together in the living room, modifying the clothes they thrifted to fit their looks. Kyuhyun began writing song lyrics, and Ryeowook would tell him what worked and what didn’t.

The time passed in a blur, and suddenly it was June of 1990, Ryeowook was interviewing at elementary schools all over the district, and Kyuhyun was dropping out of university.  
The band had managed to book a gig at a local dingy bar over the weekend, and Kyuhyun was too excited to even worry about his father’s anger upon hearing Kyuhyun had dropped out. They practiced their music every day, Ryeowook joining to watch any time he didn’t have an interview, and Kyuhyun thought they were pretty damn good.  
The day before the gig, Ryeowook came home with news that he had been hired to teach first grade at a school close to their apartment, and Kyuhyun had never felt so excited for the future as he did in that moment.

* * *

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Ryeowook asks, pulling Kyuhyun out of his thoughts.  
Kyuhyun shakes his head, gulping down the now warm beer in front of him and motioning for the bartender to grab him another. “Nothin’,” He replies. “How we got here, I guess. How we met.”  
“Oh yeah? Back when you stole my study room?”  
Kyuhyun presses a kiss to the top of Ryeowook’s head. “You know that was an accident. I still don’t regret it, though.”  
“Alright, cheeseball,” Ryeowook laughs.  
“You love me for it.”  
“Mmm,” Ryeowook nods. “Unfortunately.”

**Author's Note:**

> so im going to assume that most ppl reading this are not punk (bc...most elfs arent punk lol) which is fine BUT for those of u who dont know: theres a subculture within punk culture called "queercore" which is kind of where i was placing the band in my head, which is why it's fine for kw to hold hands outside the show and why the girl i mentioned in an opening paragraph has "dyke" on her chest (also im a lesbian so dont get mad at me for that word). punk overall isnt a homophobic scene but queercore is a really comfortable scene for lgbt ppl within the punk scene.  
> i feel like if u follow me on twitter and ur an elf then its really obvious who i am HAHA  
> anyway thank u for reading and i hope u enjoyed!!!


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